Khyna Wallace, a former Shriver student and graduate of the Oct. ’19  class recently informed a staff member of her progress since graduating. In her own words . . . . . . . I  finished Job Corps in October 2019 and started AmeriCorps NCCC the following week.  I had no clue what I was getting myself into, and I  was nervous but excited at  the same time.   We started training in Colorado for a month and then we were off.  They split us up into teams, and my first round was in Texas.  My team’s job was disaster recovery.  We finished the inside interior of 2 houses, we took out insulation from under another house, and we built an entire house, all before Christmas.  My second round was a split round between New Mexico and  Missouri.   In New Mexico, my team  and I split our time between helping a camp build bunk beds and building a fence for a women’s shelter.  Six weeks later  we drove to Missouri and we split our time between the boys and  girls club and working  on a botanical garden.   I got to change teams a couple of weeks early.  My new team and I  were cutting down  trees in a  park and burning them.    Sadly we had to leave Missouri early because of the pandemic. While at home I was thinking of something to do after AmeriCorps.  I decided that I’m going to college without letting anything get in my way this time.   I didn’t get to have a round three but we did have a virtual graduation yesterday and I start college at the end of August at Post University.

When I was in Job Corps I learned a lot of things like how to be a leader and to stand up for what I believe in.  Everyone is going to have good days and bad days and that is ok but it’s your decision if you want to stay having a bad day or turn it around.  Job Corps is there to help you get a job and become an adult.  My advice to all Job Corps students is to take your time.  Don’t rush, make memories, but try not to get caught in the drama because that will be your downfall.  Here is a quote from one of my favorite counselors, which helped me get through some tough days, “The trick is not to mind it”.